Sex: Male
Age: 30 as of 3 weeks ago
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 240
Frame: Larger frame that can hold larger than average muscle mass. When I was 20 I was like a tank. I was well on my way to a career in the NHL without ever setting foot in the gym (hence why I have no clue what to do in it) until...
Past injuries: Class 3 ACL/MCL tears and torn Patella at age 20. Torn rotator cuff @ 18.
Exercise habits: Nonexistent since about 22. I was at 280 lbs. in April. Got down to where I am now (roughly) on nothing more than caloric reduction.
Goals: Get down to about 200 pounds while adding 20 pounds of muscle mass.

So this past March I decided enough was enough with me gradually attempting a go at becoming the Sta-Puft Marshmallow Man. Cutting the soda and Hostess cakes (amongst other things) got me from 280 to 245, and then I leveled off. I've never had to work out before...but I've never been 30 before, either.

So I bit the bullet and got a gym membership (Anytime Fitness) 3 weeks ago. I hadn't exercised for the better part of 8 years, so I'm not exactly dominating the equipment if you catch my drift. My routine so far is as follows (I go 6 days a week):

-7 minute warmup setting on the bike. Starts level 4/20 and ends level 9/20.
-30 minutes on the "cross trainer"--full body setting (looks like an elliptical to me, but they call it a cross trainer). Level 6 out of 20.
-10 minute cooldown on the treadmill. Speedwalk setting, slight incline
-A set of 10 on the horizontal rower (max weight I can do 10 reps of)
-A set of 10 on the shoulder press (max weight)
-A set of 10 on the leg curl (not max weight)
-A set of 10 on the chest press (max weight)
-A set of 10 on the biceps curl (max weight)
-A set of 10 on the vertical press (max weight)
-A set of 10 on the triceps curl (max weight)
-20 reps with light dumbells

Here's the thing that has me questioning: I'm kind of tired after my aerobic portion, but not really sweating like a stuck pig. And while my arms are too tired to lift anymore after the weightlifting, I don't feel sore the next day.

Should I be soaking after the aerobic portion? I'd classify my sweat levels as a little glisteny. Should I be sore the next day after the weights? I've read I should be.

Is my routine OK or should I be doing more/doing smarter? I know after 3 weeks it's too early to see any visible results (other than about 5 pounds lost) but I'd hate to think I'm doing all of this for essentially no gain. I'd just hire a personal trainer to get me through this phase but I've already spent my limit on the membership, attire, and an iPod (I go about 11 at night and there's one guy who's always there before me who loves country music...which makes me want to flee). One of my big problems is I still have these images of how easy it was to stay in top shape when I was younger--which leads me to believe maybe my body just doesn't rebel if its pushed even now--but this is all balanced out by the fact that my mind keeps constantly reminding me I'm on the wrong side of 30 now, and someone my age really probably should have to work at it quite a bit to get any results.

Any advice for the newbie from the wily vets? Much appreciated if there is.

Whats your diet like?

I'll let the true experts chime in, but I'll throw my 2 cents in...

First, as for soreness, I usually got it initially with a muscle group that I hadn't worked hard enough in the past. The fact that you haven't worked out and are not sore would suggest to me that you haven't worked hard enough, but I'll defer to others on this.

Second, are you doing one set? The standard is 3 sets of 8 - 10 reps. I generally do 4 or 5 sets of 10 reps (5 if I want to bulk) using the heaviest weights that I can accomplish those 10 or 5 reps.

Third, as for sweating, different people have different sweating abilities. When you were younger, did you sweat when working out? If so, you are not working hard enough now. If you never were a sweater, you're probably okay.

Fourth, are you comfortable with 6 days / week? I have been a member of my gym for a little over a year and have seen innumerable people come in, work their azzes off for a month, then I never see them again. I think a progression into the workout reduces early burnout.

Fifth, early on, over the next month or two, you will be tired (or should be), sweaty, sore, and not see much results. When that happens, get on this forum and tell your brothas. There are lots of folks on here who will talk to you to keep your morale up. The first month or two is real easy to quit and go back to eating Bon Bons and watching Oprah. That is the dangerous period. Get past the first two months and you'll be hooked, like me. I don't look like Chillen and don't have the energy or skills of Flyinfree, but those guys motivate me and as such have made me a lot stronger, leaner and healthier.

Finally, 30 is a young squirt! A large number of the fellas and ladies on here are well over 30. Now, when you are 48, you have a right to bitch about your age...

I dunno what to tell you about the injuries, and I'm sure not a wiley vet (I'm half your age.

But, as for your workout, it needs changed. There is only 1 leg thing, leg curls (which are in my firm opinion the worst leg machine out of them). for one, all machines are definitely worse for you than free weights, the only machine I'd use is a cable machine for rows. You'd best benefit from a full body (not just upperbody) workout. The two exercises which put the most stress on the entire body and thus stimulate most hormone release and growth are the squat and deadlift. Both of which you need to do.

For a good full body workout, you'd need a
squat/dead (one or the other per workout)
horizontal push
horizontal pull
vertical push
vertical pull
unilateral leg exercise.

The concept of teh full body workout is to work the entire body (generally 3 days a week with a day break inbetween when you can do cardio if you want) You need to do heavy compound exercises to hit the most muscle fibers at once. Isolation (such as the curls) are far less beneficial than a compound like rows or pullups.

Thanks for all the replies. The assistance is much appreciated. Not sure how but I'll try to pass the karma on...somehow. Hopefully I remember all of them in my followup questions, heh.

1) I've never been much of a sweater. When I was younger, I was always fine going out and doing an 7-8 minute shift (for comparison an average shift in a game of hockey is less than 3 minutes), sitting for a couple minutes, going out and doing another 7 or 8 and at the end of the game still being pretty fresh. So I guess "it is what it is" there with regards to me not being soaked.

My diet is...well, my diet. I'd like to say I'm disciplined, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't cheat at least once a week. I keep it pretty simple these days, generally. Some Special K in the morning, some fruit just before lunch, light lunch usually consisting of either a salad or fish of some sort, some more fruits and maybe some wheat thins in the afternoon, whatever I feel like for dinner, and then a light snack later in the evening. I used to down a ridiculous amount of soda--these days I'm sticking to about 4 liters of Crystal Light a day as well as probably more milk (skim) than I should be drinking.

Sets: I just do one on each machine because someone told me my body will "adjust" to a certain machine if I stick with it, so I mix it up. Most of the sets I do are machines that claim they work (primarily) the chest and biceps. Is this not the case?

Leg exercises: I honestly don't worry about this too much. I do the one set I do largely just to loosen things up, not so much for any sort of strength growth (I said "not max weight" on that one simply because even at max weight POSSIBLE on that machine it's not heavy enough to wear me down) My legs have always been ridiculously strong. I can keep pumping it out as long as I can take the soreness in my knee no problem.

Free weights: Can't use em for 2 reasons. 1, I go in late at night. There's usually a guy exercising there when I first get there, but he's typically gone by the time I finish my time on the cross trainer. And he's a stick. I wouldn't trust that guy to lift a 30 pound barbell off of me. I don't want to choke to death under the bench press. And 2, free weights don't force me into having proper form. Since I'm both unlearned in proper form AND an unabashed cheater when there's nobody to force me to do things proper, the machines really are my best option.

Six days a week: I have no problems with it. It's an hour out of my day at the very end of my day. I actually find it to be a nice little wind-down to my day. One thing I have noticed is I'm much more relaxed and lighter on the stress since I've started doing this. I don't know if it's the activity increase or the fact that I can go home, take a shower and pop right to sleep for my 6-7 hours with no problems due to the workout, but whatever it is, it seems to work.

OK, so anyhow...my weight regimen is crap. Check. I should be doing 4 sets of 10 on EACH machine or should I be narrowing down the machines I use?

How about my aerobic? Is that part OK? I figured 3/4 of an hour was decent , but I'm obviously not infallable, heh.

This may be the case but if you weight train, you must do it balanced, you can get unhealthy muscular imbalances working just the upper body. Besides, as I mentioned, squats/deads cause the body to release more hormone that helps growth in the ENTIRE body


these are bad reasons.
1You can ask the guy first to work inbetween sets. You don't have to do bench if you're worried about being trapped (db chest press is fine too).
2You force yourself into form in free weights. If you are an unabashed cheater at things, then you can't expect to improve. Using machines is markedly less helpful than free weights and many machines force you into unnatural positions. For isntance the leg curl, in no normal situation would the biceps femoris, or hamstrings be isolated from the glutes.
3 Trainers at your gym are there to help you. find some exercises and have them show you good form.
6 days a week may be manageable to you, but still, your body grows at rest, you should leave at least 48 hours for a muscle group to be fully recovered. 8 hours a day is the recommended minimum for sleep. If you only sleep 6-7 hours, you'll see less improvement


might wanna read some threads in the men's weight training forum.

Sooner or later you really need to move onto free weights. You can either waste 2 years learning that (like I did) or just start there.

If you're going to go in 6 days a week, try alternating a lifting day with a cardio day for two reasons:

1. You're wearing yourself out doing cardio prior to your lifting. Some people do it, but I'd rather wear myself out lifting.
2. Rest, rest, rest. Doing some light cardio instead of lifting will allow your muscles to repair themselves as opposed to being ripped apart every day.

Sets: I'd go with more than one, probably 3. Starting off 3x8-12 is probably good. Your body will adjust to exercises, true, but not between sets...generally over months.

Routine: Kick that guy out of your way and grab a barbell. Use weights you're comfortable with until, well, you're comfortable.

is fine and will probably kill you if you're a beginner (that's a good thing). If you have any questions about exercises you can work into this format, I'd be happy to post some. Incorporating squats and deadlift variations alone will be a huge improvement. Tack on some rows, chins, bench, dips and lunges and I guarantee you that you will, for once, be sore the next day.

Good luck.

find a local trainer-because of your prior injuries it would be unwise to suggest anything other than that without proper assessment

This may be the case but if you weight train, you must do it balanced, you can get unhealthy muscular imbalances working just the upper body. Besides, as I mentioned, squats/deads cause the body to release more hormone that helps growth in the ENTIRE body

On the issue of free weights: What are the alternatives to squats and dead lifts? I'd need to look into things that don't put weights in a potentially dangerous spot.

My worry on those is much akin to laying under a barbell with 200 pounds on it with nobody around: With my knee, I don't want anything weighing however much I could squat on my shoulders/resting near my neck with the potential of something snapping--end result being I end up breaking my neck under the weight of the darn thing as I crumble to the ground.

The knee was a serious, serious, serious injury. Nobody was sure I was ever even going to be able to walk normally again at the time. To this day, I still don't move laterally all that well (meaning the ACL didn't heal perfectly). Ligament surgery wasn't nearly as perfected then as it is today, and the extent of the injuries would have tested even today's medical knowledge. There is a legitimate concern about something down there doing something it shouldn't under the burden of the kind of weight we're talking here.

Given all that, I'm hesitant to suggest anything. I'd go with what akyoda said - sit down with a trainer who's knowledgeable in this area.